Hard Management
by lady of the wilds
Summary: Somehow, Miss Pauling was always left playing the bad guy.


"Miss Pauling, I'm sure it has not escape your attention that the RED team, who we are _paying_ very highly, have not been doing their jobs. For the last dozen battles those armed psychopathic simpletons have barely scraped up three victories." The administrator pulled heavily on her cigarette, drawing the smoke deep into her lungs and letting it out in a thick loud and watching it as it hazily filled the room. "We have poured thousands of dollars' worth of machinery and weapons into their mitts and are getting no results for it. Why do you think that is Miss Pauling?"

The small, back-haired women looked up from her clipboard that she was required to carry at all times and gently pushed her black rimmed glass up to her eyes. She hated answering the administrator's cold questions like this. It put her on the spot and any answer she gave would be tossed aside anyway, whether it be reasonable or not. If she was being completely true to herself she would admit that she simply hated being in the same room as this women full stop.

Everything about her from her sharp, spotless purple clad business suit to her cold, dead eyes screamed unpleasantness. Begrudgingly she had to admit that she was good at what she did and her position as head administer was keeping her and a lot of other people from living out a dead-end job but apart from that there really wasn't anything likable about this women. Absolutely nothing at all.

"W-well administrator," she quickly flicked though her jumbled notes clutched tightly in her hand. Reading out the companies latest reports "Our recent statistics have shown that five of our capture points have been too difficult to-"

"The _answer_ Miss Pauling is that are mercs are distracted!" She spun he chair around and stared harshly at the petite woman. Miss Pauling instantly stopped reading from her notes and respectfully bowed her head and held her clipboard. If there was one thing she had leaned since taking this job, it was to never challenge, correct or interrupt the administrator when she was talking. She far outranked anyone currently on base so by all accounts, her word was law.

Keeping her head down, she listened quietly, as any good assistant should.

"The reason those… men, "she spat the word out like it was a joke. "Have failed so miserably for so long is because they have gotten lazy! They have become too comfortable and pig-headed and it is costing us billions."

Darning to look up Miss Pauling politely asked. "What do you purpose we do ma'am?"

The administrator smiled cunningly, already having thought of plan to re-establish a competence, working team. "I am glad you asked Miss Pauling. I want you to go to the RED base this afternoon and conducted a further search of the mercs rooms. Remove anything that shouldn't be there and confiscate a few of the more expensive pieces of machinery. Leave only their basic weapons. Tell them that we have been very patience with them thus far but if their shoddy performance has not improved by next week, all perk are suspended indefinitely. If any of the idiots have trouble understanding that then tell them it won't only be there benefits on the line. Did you get all that?" sharp icy brown eyes watched her and she nodded, not needing to take any of this down.

"Yes ma'am. I will get a storage room prepare immediately."

"Excellent. You may go now." Without further thought for the mousy girl, she turned in her chair and focused on one of the hundreds of security televisions she was in control of.

Miss Pauling dipped her head out of habit and quickly made her exit. The cool fresh air from the air conditioner greeted her as she left and closed the door behind her.

Ick! She hated being stuck in that smoked out room for so long. The smell was clinching to her clothes and hair and she was pretty sure she was developing a small cough from the fumes. Eyeing the clipboard still had pressed to her chest, she mulled over the large task that lay before her. The men would be crushed when she turned up at their doors, forcing them to submit to a room search, which she felt was uncalled for.

The guys tried their best, she knew that, but here she was, stuck with the task of breaking down their morality even more than it already was. The lack of success was already tough for them to take. This would down right devastate them.

She liked the guys despite their less than sound minds and tendencies to cause more trouble in their own base then the enemy's. Fighting in a war was tough and at the end of the day each man needed a thing to hold onto. Something that didn't revolve around bulging someone with a rusty pipe while they slept. Taking away the things keeping their minds off the battle field would only lead to heartache and trouble. Lots and lots of trouble. But she was just a humble assistant so all she could do for now was get down to the storage units and pray the guys were in co-operative spirits.

Oh boy this was going to be a looong day.


End file.
